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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Moving On From the Storm

Today, there will be a lot of stories, pictures and Facebook posts about the two-year anniversary of the April 28th tornado. Maybe there will be a TV news crew or two in town. I understand that talking about it can be cathartic for many people and if that's what you need to do, that's what you should do. On a personal level, I'll probably do a bit more of that myself.

But this will likely be the last year that I will personally acknowledge this date. What happened two years ago does not define my family's past and most certainly does not define my family's future. I don’t want my life to be measured as “before the storm” and “after the storm.” That day tested us, it changed us and in its own way, it improved us. But I refuse to let it define the rest of my life.

As for me, I'll look forward to see what the next 25 years hold: a few more work challenges, travel, semi-retirement, maybe grandkids (no hurry on that one) and a general mellowing of life.

The only thing I really choose to honor from that time is the feeling of community, respect, compassion and concerted effort that emerged and that we need to work to maintain.